Dawn of an Era
by Nuttycheychey
Summary: An Outsider faces more dangers than what the inhabitants and disbuting territories offer. Too bad Alice doesn't know about them. Can Julius and the other Role Holders protect her? Or will their pride blind them? JuliusxAlicexBlood
1. Chapter 1

The Clock Maker rarely left his tower. He had no reason to. His job was considered sinful and he had no friends that required his constant attention; Alice was the only exception to that. But on this night, he had left the sanctuary of his tower in the dead of night to answer the summons for his presence. He gripped his wrench tighter in annoyance at being forced to wait and stay away from the clocks that still needed to be repaired. He sighed and sat on a large boulder just outside the Clock Tower. "Why has she requested to see me?" He thought out loud to himself.

Julius froze as he sensed the presence of another stepping closer to the tower. He stood when he realized it was her and waited patiently for the old woman to stand before him. Her walk was slow and impaired from an old leg wound. Her brown cloak and hood hid her face in shadows and covered the green silk dress Julius knew was beneath it. When she was at last close enough to speak with him, but far enough away to avoid a hit from anything other than his gun, she raised her head, poisonous green eyes glaring at him.

Julius didn't move the wind softly blew toward him, brushing his hair out of his face. Finally his normally controlled temper snapped. "What do you want Snake Witch?" He said with thinly slit silver eyes. He felt he knew, but he prayed it wasn't.

"You know why. Where is she?" The woman hissed, a long red forked tongue flicking out then quickly retreating back into her mouth.

"I don't know who you're talking about." He said with a bored monotone voice.

"Yes you do," She snapped. "The Outsider, where is she?" She hissed angrily.

Julius gave a small smile to himself and answered her. "She's not here."

"Yes she is," The woman hissed in frustration. "I can smell her. Where is she?" Her tongue flicked again in agitation.

"I told you, she's not here." He said knowing that annoying the Snake Witch was a dangerous thing. "She's in a different territory."

"But her scent is heaviest here, she is here right now, I know it. I can feel her heat as she sleeps; I can hear her heart beat in a peaceful rhythm and it is driving my thirst over the edge." Her tongue flicked out with more vigor now. "Give her to me." She seethed and took a step closer. Julius changed the wrench into a gun and raised it, stopping the witch mid step.

"Take another step onto my territory and I will put a bullet in your brain." He threatened, all too aware that the threat was empty; his was neutral territory, there was no killing allowed. To his mild surprise the woman began to laugh and threw back her head, the hood fell back to reveal the wrinkled and sickly face and grey hair of the Snake Witch.

"Protective, are we Julius Monrey? My how she's changed you." She chuckled. "Give her to me and I can easily solve that."

"No," he said firmly. "I'm not letting you get your filthy clawed hands on this one. You will not have her."

"I will, Mortician," She spat, "One way or another I will have her and my reign shall continue." With that she turned and left the blue haired man alone outside the tower.

"It's worth it." He reminded himself and returned the wrench to its original state and walked up the stairs into the tower and back to his work. But first, he needed to check on Alice. Luckily, nothing had happened to her in his absence. He double checked the windows and cursed under his breath. The blasted woman never remembered to close and lock them. With that done he left the room and used the master key to lock the door, she would be able to get out on her own in the morning because it also locked and unlocked from the inside and the Snake Witch never entered the Country of Hearts in the day. For now, she was safe. He just hoped it would stay that way.


	2. Chapter 2

"Alice," the scream of jubilation echoed down the hallway, bouncing off the stone walls until it reached the ears of the Clock Maker.

Julius' eyes looked at a clock on his wall, and then glanced out the closest window to see the afternoon sun beating down heavily on the window. He sighed and picked up another wheel Alice had polished and gently set it in before picking up his screwdriver and another screw. "That Devil Rabbit is early," he muttered irritably under his breath.

Peter White shoved the door to Julius' room and office open, hitting the wall with a loud bang. Julius looked up from his work to glare at the rabbit man, fire burning in his silver eyes. "Be more careful _idiot _or else I'll have to start billing you for the repairs from the damage you do to my tower! You already owe me for the damage you did in Alice's room just before the last ball!" He snapped in annoyance.

The rabbit ignored him and casually strode into the room, looking around himself in confusion for a moment before placing both hands palm down on the desk and leaning closer to Julius. "Where is Alice?" He said politely, the annoyance he felt still evident in his voice however.

Julius looked back at the clock he was fixing and tightened the screw. "She's not here, and would you please stand back? Your breath smells like carrots and it's making me sick." He said and reached for the last wheel. Peter scowled at him a moment and leaned back slightly, crossing one arm over his chest and using the other to cradle his chin.

"What do you mean she's not here? This is where she lives, so she should be here!" He frowned sadly.

"She's not here. The Amusement Park's Cat and the Bloody Twins took her away to play at the Park; The Hatter has also invited her for tea. There's no way of knowing when she'll be back." The White Rabbit glared at him through thinned eyes. "Go ahead and search, she's not here." The rabbit 'humph'd' and walked away, slamming the door shut as he left. "Stop slamming my doors!"

After a long moment of silence, Alice emerged front the private bathroom. "Is he gone?" Julius nodded and Alice took her seat across from him. "Thank you," She said with relief and picked up another wheel, the rag she was using and the gold polish. "I didn't think it was possible, but he seems to be more annoying now than before Blood brought me back." She huffed. "He follows me everywhere and it's driving me mad!"

"I've noticed," the Mortician said bluntly and reached for his still hot mug of black coffee.

"I'm glad he has yet to figure out where I've been hiding. He really does seem to trust you when you say I'm not here though, so there really is nothing to worry about I guess." She sighed and returned to polishing the wheel.

"I suppose the only _true _worry we should really have is if he ever decides to really go to the Hatter's Mansion and gets himself killed." Alice gave him a questioning look. "Because then we'd have to worry about him not showing up any more." Alice laughed, despite the sadistic meaning behind the rare joke; it was a humorous thought to her. "However," Alice stopped her laughing immediately. "I was serious when I said that Blood has extended an invitation."

"Any idea when?"

"Read for yourself," He said and handed her the envelope with the Dupre family crest seal in wax keeping the letter closed. Alice took the letter opener from his desk and carefully opened the top and reached inside for the white card.

"It's certainly formal," She observed and read. Alice gasped and abruptly stood.

"What is it, what's wrong, Alice?" The Undertaker said with concern.

"It's going on right now, oh goodness. I'm sorry to leave Julius, but I'll head back as soon as night falls." She gasped and turned to leave.

"No," Julius said loudly and caught her arm. Alice turned to face him with curiosity. Julius averted his eyes, choosing to look instead at the lace and ribbon bracelet on her wrist then met her eyes again. "Don't bother with wandering around at night anymore. Stay the night in that territory and come back when it's light." Alice was about to question the sudden burst of concern, but the intense look in his eyes told her not to question him. Alice nodded and he released her. As she headed for the door he called out to her, "And Alice, remember to close and lock your windows and lock your door. It's a nasty habit of your's not to do so; this world is more dangerous than you think." He warned and Alice left, slightly confused.


	3. Chapter 3

Five time changes. That's how long Alice had been gone. She sighed as she reached the raced up the stairs just as night suddenly appeared. She sighed again, just to give herself something else to do, and entered Julius's room and office. To her surprise and amazement, Julius was not there. "Julius, are you in here?" She said and rapped on the bathroom door. There was no reply, and the door was unlocked. Curious, Alice walked out the room and toward the kitchen, but stopped short at what she saw in the middle of the hall.

Floating a mere three inches off the ground was a door with a green glow. It felt ominous and gave Alice gooseflesh; never the less she approached it. She called out her friend's name and again received no answer. She timidly stepped closer and reached for the door knob. Before she could graze the cold metal, the door creaked open and revealed red, hot, fog. Alice raised her foot and hesitantly stepped across the threshold and walked a short distance in. The door swung and slammed shut with a loud bang.

Alice panicked and began tugging on the door knob, but it wouldn't budge. She began to hyper ventilate and kicked at the door. "Julius," Alice gasped. Something, hidden by the fog, released a deep, feral growl. Alice gasped and pressed her back to the door, praying it would open and she would fall threw.

No such luck existed.

Two, giant green jewels winked at Alice in the dim red light. A shadow appeared around them and moved closer, growing larger until the fog at last parted to reveal a giant snake. Alice whimpered and tried to turn the door knob again. Nothing happened. "Julius," she said desperately.

The snake hissed and flicked its tongue; the forked muscle caressed Alice's cheek and swiftly retreated. The snake leaned back and raised its head. _"Welcome Outsider, I've been waiting for you." _A voice hissed in her head. _"Now prepare yourself, it will make your death easier." _The snake opened its mouth and prepared to strike. Alice released a terrified scream and squeezed her eyes shut as the snake lunged at her. Suddenly a gun shot rang out in the empty space and the snake released a scream of pain. A strong arm wrapped around Alice and shoved her out the now open door.

Alice opened her eyes to stare at the clockmaker. "Are you alright, are you hurt, did she bite you?" he panted. Alice nodded and wrapped her arms around his middle; Julius held her gently and muttered, "I'm sorry you had to see that, Alice. You're safe now, I promise. She's not going to get you, she can't hurt you now."

Finally, Alice regained herself enough to pull away. "What _was _that thing?" She gasped.

Julius grabbed her hand and led her back to his office. "I'll explain." He sat her down in her usual seat and left for a moment. When he returned, Alice suddenly found a mug of coffee shoved into her hands. "Drink," Julius instructed and took his seat.

Once Alice's nerves relaxed enough Julius began his explanation. "As you know, this world is run as a game. There are three keepers; you've already met two of them and you just ran into the third." Julius sighed and removed his reading glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose, "The incubus, Nightmare is one of them. It's because of these three keepers that Outsiders are rare. That snake you met is named, Micrurus, she is the main keeper." Julius walked over to his book shelf and pulled out an old scroll, he sat down at his desk and unrolled it, revealing an old map of the Country of Hearts. "Before she came, this land was full of piece, there was no line between faceless and role holders and it wasn't uncommon for an Outsider or two to appear here." He said and dusted off the old map.

"I was four years old when the last Outsider came. He was a young boy, only about six or seven years old. He'd been separated from his family and my mother took him in and he became my brother. He was eighteen when Micrurus first showed up. She attacked him and killed him. That is merely one of the many reasons that Outsiders aren't common here." He smoothed out the map gently and met Alice's eyes. "The Dawn of Micrurus is ending, she is growing old and her power is fading. If you keep yourself locked in your room for at least the next five nights, you should be safe." Then he added softly to himself, "And perhaps this can all end." Then he stood with the map in hand and walked over to the only clear spot on his cluttered walls and carefully hung it up.

"But, how did she become so strong? Why is it so dangerous? Why does she run this game?" Alice said and stood.

Julius whirled around to face her, cold fire burning in his eyes. "Enough," He shouted and straightened. "You don't need to know any of that. All you need to know is to keep yourself safely locked indoors for the next five nights." His face softened and he walked to stand before her. He lifted a hand to caress her cheek and said sadly, "All you need to know is that I've vowed not to let her get her hands on another Outsider; and I intend on keeping that promise. I don't want you to get hurt because of me." He said and kissed her cheek, to Alice's shock. "That is why you'll be safer in the Hatter's mansion. Blood is also who you love, so that is why I strongly suggest that you stay with him."

Alice sniffed as tears suddenly stung her eyes. She didn't know why it hurt her to hear those words, but it did. She nodded and pulled away from him and left for her room, thankful the door was no longer there. She shut the door and changed quickly into her night gown before collapsing onto her bed, and letting out her pent up emotions until her eyes ran dry.


	4. Chapter 4

Alice released a sight of frustration and sipped her tea. She had felt betrayed by and after arriving at the Hatter Mansion and receiving a room, had promptly released her pent up anger and confusion on her pillow, pulverizing it in her anger. She had been so tired from crying that when she had awakened from her deep slumber after crying herself to sleep that she could no longer recall why her friend had asked her to leave, only that it was no longer safe for her.

"Is something on your mind, Alice?" Blood said with a hint of a smirk as he sat at his desk, finishing some paper work.

Alice felt a light blush stain her cheeks in both frustration and slight embarrassment of allowing her mind to wander for longer than it should. "I'm still a little confused about Julius's behavior last night." She admitted.

"What'd he do to ya?" Eliot said from the couch opposite of her.

"He didn't do anything to me," Alice said defensively, "He was just really… out of character."

Blood and Eliot exchanged a glance before Blood released a sigh and set down his quill and motioned for Alice to sit in the chair across from him. He opened a drawer of his desk and pulled out an old and worn leather book. "I'm not sure if it will help, but this book is a record of every game and every role holder since the first game; it also reveals a few more reasons that we despise the Mortician and the Worm." He opened it to the first page and slid it over to Alice. "Look." He instructed. Alice hesitantly lifted the book to stare at the figures the Hatter indicated on the worn out parchment.

A young boy, still on the border of childhood and being a teenager, stared back with cold silver-blue eyes and short blue hair stared back at her, piercing into her soul. She was amazed at the emotions the photo revealed just from his eyes. Hate, betrayal, loneliness, fear, anger, all kinds of negative emotions. Next to the first boy was a younger, paler one that looked ready to be sick at any moment.

Julius Monrey and Nightmare Gottschalk, she guessed.

"Look at the others," The hatter instructed and tapped the book impatiently. Alice turned the page and stared at it, then began to flip through the pages, amazed at how Julius and Nightmare were slowly aging.

"How many years are between each game?" Alice said as she stopped and stared at a picture before turning the page again.

"In your time, about five to ten years in between," Blood said bitterly.

Alice continued to flip through the pages until she reached the present day picture.

"You see why else we hate the Clockmaker and the incubus?" Blood growled, practically spitting in hate. "He and Nightmare have been in charge of these games since the beginning. They don't talk about why they continue it, but when asked why they don't end it they only say, 'kill the Game Master, end the game'."

"That makes them sound suicidal." Alice pointed out with a grimace. "So does that mean you're going to kill them?" She said in alarm.

"No," Elliot replied in disappointment. "As much as I'd like to, we couldn't even if we tried. Those guys may look weak, but they can take a bullet straight to the heart and their clocks won't stop ticking, I bet they wouldn't even be scratched!" Elliot said miserably.

"Well that's no creepy," Alice muttered to herself sarcastically. "Do you know why?"

"They're the Game Masters, that's why. The only way for them to die is to be replaced." Blood said casually.

"How many Game Masters are there?"

"Depends on who you ask, Alice; some will say three, some two, others say one if they haven't encountered Julius or if they haven't encountered Nightmare. But honestly, I don't give a rat's ass. If I can ever manage it, I'll take out whatever Game Master I can!" Elliot growled in rage.

"Easy Elliot, remember what happened last time you tried to tangle with a Game Master?" Blood pointed out, clearly meaning when he was imprisoned by Julius and Ace.

Alice had tuned them out as soon as Elliot had answered her question, thinking and wondering why they fact that no one knew exactly how many role holders there were disturbed her so much. She felt like she knew the answer, but she had no proof. Then something occurred to the Outsider. She flipped back to the first picture and counted the Role Holders. There were thirteen, one more than was needed. She pointed at the extra woman and stared at her.

The woman was about Alice's age with honey gold hair and green eyes like a lush forest after a rainfall. She wasn't very tall, about average for her age. Her skin was lightly tanned, just enough to catch almost any man's eye. Alice supposed she was beautiful, but she didn't know the standards for beauty in that time. "Who is she? She looks like she's an extra Role Holder."

"Press your index finger to her face," Blood instructed. Alice did so and released a gasp of surprise as the picture flashed white and disappeared before slowly changing to a biography on the woman, she read it out loud.

"Micrurus, formerly known as Angelina Sariah, was born in what is now known as The Hatter's Territory. Micrurus's parents and heritage are unknown. Micrurus is the third youngest Role Holder next to Nightmare Gottschalk and Julius Monrey." Alice finished and stared at the page for a long moment.

"It doesn't say what her role was!" she growled in irritation.

"Alice," Blood said and cut her off before she could begin a rant. "Night is here and I suggest you get some rest." He said. "Come, I'll escort you to your room." He stood and offered her his hand.

"Do you mind if I borrow this?" she said and took his hand as she stood.

"Go ahead, I haven't had a need for it since I spread Mary's name." He said with a smirk. Elliot snickered from behind them and stood to follow.


	5. Chapter 5

The morning hadn't lasted as long as Julius had expected and that damned knight _still_ wasn't here. It had been thirteen time changes since he'd summoned him and he still had yet to show his face. As the time of day quickly changed to night, Julius's hands began to tremble slightly, but not from worry or anger toward the directionally challenged knight. He knew what was about to come and took a deep breath to steady himself. It didn't work.

Just then the door swung open gently and the original form of the snake Witch that he had been foolish to ignore his instincts and trust, stepped into the room. Angelina tossed her long honey gold hair over her shoulder and smirked at him, her green eyes pinning him to his seat. She walked up to his desk, her hips moving in a way meant to attract attention and the train of her silk green dress trailing behind her, her legs clearly visible as the front of the dress ended at her knees and cascaded down the sides like a water fall.

"Julius Monrey, long time to visit." She said sweetly and sat on the Mortician's desk.

"Sorry, but I don't exactly hole a liking for snake pits!" He said civilly, hiding neither the cutting edge nor the sarcasm in his voice.

The Witch gave him a shocked look and placed a hand over where one would typically have a heart or clock. "Oh, Julius!" She gasped, "I'm hurt!" She then leaned closer and grabbed the man's jaw, forcing him to look her in her eyes. "Tell me, how the 'jewel' of my collection is doing?" she said, manipulating his name.

Julius slapped her hand away and moved out of her reach. "Don't call me that!" He spat then calmed down slightly, "But I'm sure I'd be a lot better if you were _dead_!"

The witch clicked her tongue at him and leaned back casually. "But my beloved jewel," she said and slowly slid off the desk and walked behind him. "If the Game Master dies, then the game must end." She said and placed her hands on his shoulders before she leaned in close to his ear to whisper, "And you don't really want me to die, do you?" Julius tried to jerk away but she pushed down with surprising strength.

"Now, where is the little girl, Alice?" She hissed in his ear, wrapping a spell around him to ensure she got the truth.  
"Not here," Julius said simply.

"Why, what happened to her my jewel?" she said, feigning sadness.

"You scared her so she left for somewhere safer." He said.

"There is nowhere safer!" The Witch hissed, "I designed this world that way to drive the Outsiders here so it would be easier to get to them."

"Alice is an odd one, she doesn't think like you'd expect her to. She's bipolar." He replied, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. "Three more nights is all she needs before the gat will open for her again. Her vial won't be full, but so long as she still has a connection with her world she can go back."

"When did you create that rule?" Micrurus said in surprise and moved away from him slightly.

"Why, Angelina, it was the first rule I made to counter you, amongst others." He said innocently.

The Witch smirked and released him to cross an arm over her chest and cradle her chin with the other. "Very clever my jewel, but you obviously forgot to exclude yourself from another one of the rules you created to protect the Outsiders." She chuckled darkly. "No matter," she said and reached for the knives on her belt. "I'm sorry about this my jewel, but I'm afraid I must punish you and assign a new role holder!" She said and brought one of the knives down on Julius.

Before she could strike him, Julius kicked against the desk, throwing the chair back to hit the witch and leapt to his feet and jumped over his desk to gain more distance. With the witch slightly dazed, Julius grabbed his wrench and turned it into a gun, prepared to fight back.

The Witch shook her head to clear it and glared at Julius, her pupils turning into thin slits as her anger began to bubble over. Then, faster than Julius could anticipate; the snake with leapt at him from across the room, pushing him to the ground and straddling his waist. Before she could raise the knife however, the door suddenly clicked as someone walked in.

Ace casually walked into the room and removed his cloak and mask. "Hey Julius, sorry I'm late! I got the clocks you…" The naïve knave trailed off when he saw the scene before him. "Oh, Julius, I didn't know you already had a girlfriend!" He exclaimed happily with his usual daffy grin, "Why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have been trying so hard to hook you up with Alice!" He laughed innocently.

"_**DAMMIT, ACE! SHE'S TRYING TO KILL ME YOU FUCKING MORON!" **_Julius screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Oooooh~!" Ace said and reached for his sword, "I certainly hope not, I've taken quiet a liking to Julius and I don't want to see him replaced!"

"Stay out of this you medaling idiot!" The Witch said and threw the knife. Ace side stepped but the blade still managed to tear into his coat.

Ace smiled at her, "Sorry, but I'm afraid that just for that, I have to kill you now!" He laughed and drew his sword.

The witch released a scream of anger and used her only remaining knife to stab Julius in the shoulder. He released a shout of pain as the Witch disappeared and Ace rushed to his side. "Hang on; I'll get you to a hospital!"

"No," Julius said firmly. "Alice is in trouble! Micrurus is after her and she's going to find her!"

"How," Ace said.

"If you were in Alice's position and you'd just been kicked out of your home, where would you go?" Julius grunted as Ace helped him up. "Gently, Ace," he reminded the knave.

"Heart Castle," The naïve knight responded.

Julius glared at him through his slightly broken glasses, "You're in Alice's position you idiot!" He reminded.

"Exactly, if I was Alice I'd go there because I'm there!" He said and smiled at his own logic.

"Ace," Julius sighed. "Alice can't return here for five days to avoid Micrurus; do you really think she could endure Peter for that long?" He said skeptically.

"Good point." Ace admitted. "So where would she go?"

"The Hatter's Mansion, we must leave now and warn her." Ace tried to interrupt and inform him that he was injured but Julius brushed him off, "This wound isn't serious and it can wait until Alice is okay. Now let's go!"


	6. Chapter 6

Julius Monrey stepped up to the Hatter's Mansion and walked straight up to the Gate Keepers who were at their posts for once. "Please let me in, I need to see Alice." He informed them. The tweedles raised their weapons in defiance.

"Why should we?" Dum said.

"You made Onee-san cry!" Dee growled.

"You're a big meanie!"

"The Meanie shouldn't see Onee-san!"

"He'll make her cry again!"

Both the twins said in unison, "And we don't like it when Onee-san cries! We should kill the meanie!"

Julius sighed, he knew he shouldn't have expected it to be so easy, but he could always hope. "If I make her cry again, you can torture me, cut off all my limbs, and chop off my head if you like, but I need to speak with her!" Perhaps that would also hold him off for a while.

"Why should - " But Julius cut Dee off this time.

"She's in danger you noisy brat!" Julius raged.

The twins looked at each other for a moment before stepping aside. "Fine, but we're holding you to that!" Dum spat.

Meanwhile…

"Dammit, Ace!" Julius growled. "You got us lost!"

"Sorry, it's not like I mean to!" Ace said with big, puppy dog eyes and a cute pout.

"I know," Julius said and calmed down. "Where are we?"

"No, I can't see, it's too dark. But I think we're near the Amusement Park." Ace said.

"Alright," Julius sighed, "Head north west." Ace turned around and began walking away, "Ace!" Julius called him back and pointed a different direction. "You're headed South west, _toward_ the Amusement Park."

"Right, I knew that!" Ace laughed and followed Julius.

Julius sighed and continued walking, "You're hopeless!"

Back at the Hatter's Mansion…

Julius raced through the halls, ignoring the odd looks and curses thrown at him from the faceless. Now was no time to waste, he was so close to her! He didn't even notice when he shouldered someone and continued running.

Elliot March rubbed his shoulder and stared after the man that had just run into him and gasped in surprise. "Hey, Blood," He called to the Hatter, "I think we need to have a little chat with the Gate Keepers and tell them to stop letting the rats in."

"You may have a point Elliot, come. We'll take care of that now." He said and gripped his cane tighter. When the leader of the Mafia and his second arrived at the gates, it was to a confusing scene.

"You stupid little brats, do you honestly think that I'd move on my own when entering your territory?" Julius Monrey shouted.

"We don't care, we aren't liking your prank!"

"Stay away from Onee-san!"

"Gate Keepers," Blood said sternly as he approached and stopped when he was right next to him. "What is going on here?"

"The big Meanie showed up and said he wanted to talk to the Lady so we let him in after he promised we could kill him if he made her cry."

"Then he showed up here again! No we really want to kill him!" The boys wined.

"Clockmaker, I'll allow you ten seconds to explain yourself." Blood growled and gripped his cane tightly, ready to use it if necessary, even if the Knight of Hearts was there.

"It's a very long story, but you must know that the man you saw earlier was an imposter and that Alice is in danger. I can and _will _explain later but for now we _must _get to Alice!"

Meanwhile…

Someone was frantically knocking, no _pounding_, on Alice's door. Groggily, she rolled out of her bed and walked with unsteady legs to answer the door. When she opened it, she immediately slammed it shut and leaned her back against it.

"Alice please, I can explain!" Julius said from the other side of her door.

"Julius, I'm tired and I should be asleep, and so should you." She shouted. "Come back when the time changes." She said and sat on her bed.

"Alice," Julius said calmly, "I wanted to apologies, but I'd much rather speak to your face than to a door and I'm sure that in a similar situation you would rather do the same."

Alice sighed and walked over to the door, "Fine," then she added softly to herself, "Persuasive bastard!"

As soon as the door was opened Julius stepped into the room. Something was off about him, he looked too eager, his eyes weren't cold and his emotions were showing more than she'd ever seen before. Alice suddenly had the feeling that she shouldn't have opened the door so readily.

The Clockmaker turned and shut and locked her door, frightening the Outsider. "Alice, I've been waiting a long time for this." Julius sighed.

Suddenly someone began pounding on her door. "Alice, open up, let me in!" Blood shouted.

Alice reached around to open the door but Julius caught her around her waist and pulled her away from the door. She gave a shriek of surprise. "Julius, what are you doing?"

"Alice," the Outsider stared at the shut and locked door in surprise as the Julius that held her gave a nasty curse. "Alice, that's an imposter!" Julius shouted from the other side. "Unlock the door and let us in!"

"I can't!" She shouted back.

"Stay out of the way Clockmaker!" The man that held Alice shouted back.

"Ace, get the door!"

Suddenly the door began to thunk and crack as Ace's body slammed into the door. Alice began to struggle to free herself from the imposter, "I don't think so! Julius and Nightmare have been hiding you from me for long enough, you're mine now!" He growled and suddenly, clouds of red smoke began to engulf them, Alice coughed and struggled to free herself.

By the time the door was finally broken down, neither Alice, not the Snake Witch was there.


	7. Chapter 7

"Alice, Alice, wake up Alice!" She easily recognized the voice and should have woke up, but she didn't want to. Her head was pounding and her body was weak and heavy like lead. She just wanted to sleep. "Alice, you have to wake up!" The voice said urgently. Wait… was that Nightmare she was hearing? Slowly, she cracked open a heavy eye lid to stare at the incubus.

"Nightmare," She mumbled and sat up with his help.

"Alice, what are you doing here? Of all the territories this is the _most _dangerous for you. Who brought you here?" he said, slightly panicked. Alice wished she could answer him, really she did, but the only thing that came to her mind was the last image of the imposter Julius dragging her through a door he had made out of thin air and then passing out. The silver eyed incubus stiffened suddenly, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Julius?" He asked in shock. "But that doesn't make any sense! Julius has been working to protect the Outsiders since the first game!"

"Julius didn't bring me here. He tried to help me. It was an imposter that brought me here." She said slowly.

"I see," The silver eyed incubus said solemnly to himself, "Then it was Micrurus who brought you here. As much as I hate to admit it, Alice, I can't save you from this place." Alice stared at him in shock, her mouth working furiously to speak as questions raced in her head. The dream demon shook his head sadly and explained. "You see, there is a rule, I believe it was created to keep me from hiding from Gray and to do my work, I am only allowed to enter this place with my spirit. Unlike most times that you are here with me, you are present both spiritually and physically. You need a physical presence to remove you, and the only Role Holder allowed to enter here both spiritually and physically is the Clockmaker. So unless he can somehow find you and get you back to the door, you are trapped until help arrives."

"But how, Nightmare, how is Julius supposed to get me out of here?"

The incubus suddenly stiffened, looking as if he was listening intently for something that she couldn't hear. "I believe he may already have a plan, he's calling for the Role Holders to gather together." Nightmare stood and offered his hand with a smile. "I'll inform Julius on how you are doing and offer what help I can. You are in no immediate danger; you still have a few more nights until you're really in trouble. So until then, I suggest you try to keep sane. Is there anything you want me to pass on?"

Alice hesitated a moment before she finally said, "Tell Julius, whatever you do, please be careful!"

Nightmare nodded his head before disappearing, leaving Alice alone in the Territory of the Snake Witch.


	8. Chapter 8

Vivaldi, the Queen of Hearts, tapped her foot impatiently under the huge table and began speaking to herself. "How dare that wretched Clockmaker call for a meeting of the Role Holders and make us wait so long!" She raged silently. "Neither he nor the Hatter Family and Ace have showed up yet. If we could have our way their heads would surely be rolling for this!" She tapped her long red nails against the polished wood impatiently.

A short distance away from her Gowland began to exchange worried glances with Boris. Julius was normally never late to a meeting. In fact, though he would constantly deny taking any interest in it, he was normally the first one to show up; no matter what kind of meeting it was… except for parties and events, then he was usually the last or next to last if the Knight got lost worse than normal.

Peter White pulled out his pocket watch for the thirtieth time in the last hour and shook his head sadly. The more time they wasted there, the less time he'd have to spend with his beloved Alice, even if she _had_ chosen Blood over him. But why should that matter? The love he held for her was pure, and pure love could overcome any obstacle.

Finally the door to the assembly hall near Clock Tower Plaza clicked open and, in walked Julius, Ace, and, to the surprise of all, the Hatter family trailing close behind. Julius's arm had been hastily wrapped and the bandages were stained with blood, fresh and old, that was also staining his shirt, vest, and coat. There were also several nasty gashes and a few scrapes and bruises on his person and the his right shoulder hurt from attempting to help Ace break down Alice's door last night.

Ace stood close beside him protectively, his eyes scanning each Role Holder quickly but efficiently as Julius took his seat at the head of the long table and the Hatter sat to his left, the twins and Elliot taking seats by him. Only when Ace was confident that Julius was in no immediate danger did he take his seat to the man's right hand, surprisingly _away _from where he'd usually sit with the Role Holders of Heart Castle.

Julius stood slowly; his muscles ached and begged for the rest he was neither willing nor ready to give them, his head also felt as if a little kid had been using it to play a set of drums, or worse, cymbals. Before he could speak, Gowland immediately shot a question at him, panic and fear lacing his voice. "Julius, what the hell happened to you?"

Julius sighed and used his good arm to pinch the bridge of his nose; he was in no mood to deal with stupid questions. "Mary," he said sternly, daring (and honestly not really caring about) to use the man's first name, "Just shut up and we'll be getting to that in a moment!" he said and released the bridge of his nose.

Gowland remained silent.

Julius sighed, how was he to start? When he finally did think of something to say, he felt completely stupid for saying it. "Is everyone here on time?"

Immediately Vivaldi burst out angrily, "What does it look like? As if you could even tell! You are a shameless and venal man to make us wait for so long! Yet you have the audacity to show up here, over an hour late, and ask us if we are here one time?"

Julius suddenly cut her off with a sharp reply, "I get it, so shut up already!"

Vivaldi stared at the Mortician in stunned amazement. No one had ever dared to tell her, in all the time she'd been queen, to shut up. It was rather new and she didn't know how to react, so she shut her mouth and listened to him.

"My apologies, I did not intend to keep you all waiting so long." He sighed and finally decided that unless he sat right now, his legs would give out and they'd have to postpone this meeting, and this meeting could _not _wait. Not with the life of Alice Liddell hanging in the balance. He slowly sat in his seat and sighed.

"I have very grave news for all of you." He said, trying to give them the news as gently as possible. He sighed in frustration and decided to just let it out. "Alice was taken from the Country of Hearts."

The reaction that came was to be expected. Peter began to hyper ventilate, screaming at the mortician loud enough to break every one's eardrums, "It can't be true! You're lying to me, I know you are! This is a stupid prank, where is Alice really? Where is my one true love?"

Vivaldi was screaming in anger, threatening to cut all their heads off if he was serious, all the while the King begged her to calm down and let the Mortician explain. Gowland stared in stunned silence at the table, his mouth working furiously but unable to speak the questions and concerns that ran through his mind. Boris leapt to his feet and reached for his gun, yelling at Julius to tell him what happened and if someone had taken her. Only the Hatter Family and Ace remained silent.

Julius had just about enough of the racket and was about to raise his voice again when the door suddenly clicked open again. Every one fell silent and looked at the new comers. In walked Nightmare Gottschalk and Gray Ringmarc, Pierce Villiers following close on Gray's heels. As soon as the skittish rodent spotted Boris he moved closer to Gray.

"Hide me!" He squeaked and tugged on Gray's coat.

"Knock it off rat, or you'll soon find yourself in his stomach." Gray warned in a hushed whisper and pushed the Sleepy Mouse away slightly.

"My apologies, Julius; we hadn't meant to be so late!" Nightmare said as he took his seat at the other end of the table, Gray to his right, and Pierce snatching the seat next to him that was supposed to be Ace's, putting the table between him and Boris but placing him next to Peter.

"Apology accepted," Julius nodded, and then added something completely unexpected, "Cousin." The other Role Holders stared at Julius with surprise but did not outburst for once, their gaze shifted back and forth between the two men. "Yes, as regrettable as it is to say, I share blood with the worm. Now, may we continue?" The mortician didn't wait for an answer before continuing any way.

"Micrurus was the one who took Alice. It happened last night at the Hatter's Mansion. Regrettably, we were not able to stop or prevent the kidnaping." Julius took a deep breath to steady himself. "We have three nights remaining with which to find Alice, if a fourth night passes we will be unable to find her. Are there any questions so far?"

"Why must it be before fourth night?" Blood said with a slightly bored look.

Julius took a deep breath; this was not going to be easy to tell them. "Because, this world's danger has increased for Alice so much, that she would be safer to just return home and there are only three nights remaining before the portal to her world will close again."

Another outburst from the Role Holders; adding to the pain that was in Julius's head, "Alice can't leave, I love her!" Peter screamed at the top of his lungs.

"You can't take Onee-san away, we won't let you!" The Tweedles screamed hysterically.

"If you even attempt to take Alice away, I'll have your head!" No need to explain who said that one!

"Julius, do you even know what you're saying? You can't just take her away from us like that!" Ace said to his friend in surprise.

"Julius, my friend, you must be out of your mind if you think I'm just going to let you stand by and ruin her happiness by taking her away from us!" Gowland shouted and slammed his fist down on the table.

"Go ahead and try to take Alice away Clockmaker! See what happens! I'll kill you _and _that worm that helps you out!" Boris growled in a feral voice and reached for his gun, this time he drew and cocked it, ready for a fight. The entire room silenced as Ace, Gray, and the Hatter Family reacted quickly, drawing their weapons to come to the defense of the Clockmaker and Incubus.

"Put the gun down Kitty, you don't need to use it. Not if you want to see Alice again. He's one of the only two that will be able to find her, and do you honestly think Nightmare has enough courage to face her kidnapper?" Blood said, his machine gun aimed right at the neko man.

"Hey!" Nightmare interjected but his outburst went unnoticed.

Boris sighed and put his gun back in its holster and plopped down, the others put their weapons away and sat slowly.

"Fine Clockmaker, but I sure hope you have some kind of plan." Boris said lazily.

"I do, but it will require a bit of rule breaking. So if anyone is not willing to help Alice, leave now." He said, ice freezing his voice far below zero.

The room shivered at the Clockmaker's voice and the look he gave each of them individually. "I think I'd like to know what this plan of yours is first before my men and I make a choice. Now what do you have planned?" Blood said from Julius's left.

Julius smirked to himself and answered him with a question of his own, "Have any of you ever realized that if Clover Tower and the Clock Tower were to join forces, there would be enough man power, knowledge, and fire power to overtake another territory? And then, as our combined power increased we could take over all the other territories?"

"It crossed my mind once or twice, but I know none of you are the power hungry kind so I always dismissed it." Gowland rubbed his chin, his stubble making an annoying scratching sound.

"I try not to think about it," Blood muttered, shifting his attention back to the Clockmaker.

"But isn't there a rule to prevent that?" Peter said from his seat.

"Exactly," Julius nodded and looked down the table towards Nightmare. "Whenever Clover Tower and the Clock Tower are connected, Clover Tower must immediately switch to neutral."

"So are you suggesting," Gray said from his seat on Nightmare's right, "That, since our territories are currently connected, we denounce being neutral and pick a fight with another territory?"

"Yes, I am." Every one stared at the Clockmaker as if he'd gone completely insane. "If the Game Keepers break the rules of the Game, then the Game Master will be forced to deal with it herself."

"And during that time, in all the commotion, you'll be able to sneak away, enter Micrurus's territory, and free Alice!" Nightmare said, picking up where Julius had left off. Julius nodded his head as confirmation.

"If you are willing to help, let us know." He said and pulled his wrench out of his pocket before changing it into a pistol and setting it on the table. Nightmare and Gray close behind with their weapons. Ace gave the Queen a defiant look before placing his sword, now a gun, on the table as well.

The leaders each looked at the Role Holders of their territory, debating whether it was worth the penalty or not. "We're in." Blood suddenly said taking his cane, changing it into his machine gun, and placing on the table. The other members of the Hatter Family took out their guns and set them beside their boss's.

"Excellent, are you willing to be attacked by the men of Clover Tower?" Julius said.

Blood nodded, "I'd consider it an honor. Plus, I'd have a small knowledge of who would be valuable if you ever really attacked us." He said honestly.

"We'll help too." Gowland said and set his rifle on the table, Boris set his handgun beside it.

"Good, a temporary alliance between the towers and the Amusement Park would work well to fool Micrurus." Julius observed. "You hold a hate for Blood because he slandered your name everywhere, plus Blood helped Eliot escape prison. It would work well as a façade and an excuse for us to join together."

"And what of us, Clockmaker, do you intend to forget of Heart Castle?" Vivaldi said, placing her gun with its silencer on the table. Peter eagerly placed his beside the queen. The King released a sigh and set down his weapon as well. What choice did he have really?

"Do you have an idea as to what you'll do?" Julius questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course we do," The Queen snapped. "You'll need cover when you sneak away. And," the queen smiled evilly to herself, "Wouldn't it be quite a shock to Micrurus when she learns that Heart Castle Territory, one of the bloodiest and most violent territories, has suddenly gone neutral?" Julius almost laughed to himself. Yes, the Snake witch was in for quiet the surprise. He nodded his head in agreement and shifted in his seat. "Peter will cover you and watch your back until you are in a safe position to get to Alice."

"Don't forget me!" Every one's eyes drifted to Pierce as he somewhat timidly put his weapon on the table. Immediately the Role Holders groaned in protest as Julius stared at him with calculating silver-blue eyes. "Just hear me out! I know I'm timid and easily scared, in fact just being in the same room as Boris is scaring me to death, but I want to prove myself! I know that I can do this, I can be just as brave as any of you!"

"Forget it, rat! There's nothing you could possibly do that would help Alice!" Boris said and stood, "All you're good for is a good prank, a bit of a chase, and a snack!" He said and prepared to lunge at the mouse.

"Hold it!" Julius said and stood before walking toward the Sleepy Mouse. "If I let you, would you be willing to help us?"

Pierce nodded his head confidently.

"Good, then we may just have a use for you. But it's very dangerous, you'll be chased." He warned.

Pierce looked at Boris then back to the Clockmaker, "If I can handle Boris, I'm sure I'll be fine!"

"Good, then here's what we'll do." Julius said as he returned to his seat.


	9. Chapter 9

Pierce shivered lightly and tightened his grip on his knife. He and the twins had been charged with leading groups of faceless to evacuate the towns close to and in the Clock Tower and Hatter Mansion territories. Once the towns were fully evacuated their groups were to meet and begin a skirmish, Gray and Elliot would be shortly behind them with more men. As the two sides fought, Boris and a group of more faceless would come and pretend to aid Gray and Pierce. Pierce and the twins would then run back during the cross fire and alert the leaders, Pierce was then to get into position for the next part, hiding in the church for Micrurus to come and then launch the surprise attack.

They were finally at the last town and were now just waiting for the twins and their group to arrive. "Be ready," he reminded the men that were with him just as the twins and their group appeared down the street from them.

"Hey mousy, mousy, let's play!" The twins said in unison and began running at them.

Meanwhile…

Julius paced his room impatiently. A few short hours ago he had been cornered and forced to sleep, though it was long and restless, his wounds had healed while he slept and now he was ready for the coming fight. He released a sigh and moved closer to stare out the window. Three timid knocks sounded on his door, but it was opened before he could even give an answer.

Nightmare stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. "Julius, are you ready?"

"Yes, what is our progress?" He said, not tearing his eyes from the window.

"Gray just left with a group, all we need now is for Pierce to show up and then we're ready to go. Peter is in position and ready to go." He informed.

"Good," an awkward silence passed between them before Nightmare finally spoke again.

"Hey, Julius?"

"Hm?"

"Whatever you do, be careful."

"I don't need you to worry about me, I'll be fine." Nightmare suddenly cut him off.

"That wasn't me." Julius turned to face the white eyed incubus in surprise. "That was a message from Alice." Julius stared at him in stunned silence. Nightmare smirked to himself and continued. "She's confused you know."

"Really?" Julius said blankly, coming out of his stupor.

"Yes. She has feelings that she doesn't understand. I've felt them before, but never so strongly as when I told her you were the only one who could save her." The incubus paused for a moment, "She believes they are the same feelings she had for her ex-boyfriend, only stronger and surer. I believe she loves you." Julius froze where he stood, his mind racing with questions and thoughts. Finally he decided to go with the safest one.

"She can't love me. She's already chosen the Hatter."

"That may be so, but luckily for you she hasn't married him so you can still steal her away." Julius glared at his younger cousin. "I know you love her."

"How many times have I told you not to read my mind?" Julius growled.

Nightmare shrugged, "I've lost track. And as usual, I can't help it." Julius gave him a death glare, the image of shooting him with his gun vibrantly appearing in his mind. Nightmare visibly flinched and took a step back. "Alright, alright, I get it!" He said, raising a hand in defense of himself.

"I'm not ready for love." Julius said and returned to looking out the window. Then he said softly, "The last time I loved someone, Micrurus killed her right before my eyes and I couldn't save her, _or _my brother."

"Then why are you trying so hard to save Alice?"

Julius was already reaching for his gun and about to shoot Nightmare when Pierce burst into the room, slamming the door open much like Peter usually did. "Clockmaker, we're ready, the twins should have arrived at the Hatter Mansion by now as well." He said quickly.

"Good," Julius said and walked out the door, Nightmare and Pierce trailing close behind. "Pierce, send two messengers, one to alert Gowland and the other to tell Vivaldi to be ready for Micrurus."

"I'm on it!" Pierce said and scampered away.

"I certainly hope your plan works Julius!" Nightmare said as they raced down the hall and to where his subordinates waited.

"It has to. If Micrurus realizes that her Game Keepers are not keeping the balance she will be forced to appear and penalize all of us."


	10. Chapter 10

"She hasn't shown up yet, has she?" Blood whispered as he swung at Julius with his cane. Julius dodged his swing and leapt at him, his wrench changing into a gun, Blood raised his cane just in time to push his arms up high in the air and block him.

"No, and to be honest, it's very unnerving. She should be here by now!" the Mortician grunted and pushed Blood away, hitting him in the face with his own cane.

The Hatter laughed slightly, though it held no humor, as he wiped away at the blood that was flowing from his cut lip. "I have to admit; you're certainly a better fighter than I first thought. Too bad you weren't as much of a challenge when I attacked you in the tower."

"That's because," Julius grunted as he blocked Blood, "I make sure to always have the element of surprise on my side. My surprise at the time was Ace."

"Then what's your surprise this time, Clockmaker?" Blood said as he pushed at Julius. The Mortician ground his teeth as the stronger man pushed him back, his feet scraping the gravel beneath them.

"Something along the lines of this!" Julius snarled and wrapped a foot behind Blood's leg and pulled it out from under him.

Blood hit the ground with a loud thud and laughed to himself before retrieving his cane and standing. "Why don't we make a bet?" Julius raised an eyebrow in question. "If Micrurus doesn't show up in five minutes, you get to clean the Hatter Mansion."

"Fine, but if she does show up in five minutes, you clean the Clock Tower, top to bottom, inside and out." Julius said.

"Deal," Blood said, smirking to himself then transformed his cane into his machine gun and aimed it at Julius. Before either of them could pull their triggers, the sky suddenly darkened and began turning red and Blood muttered a four lettered curse.

"Looks like you lose!" Julius smirked and began running away. "I'll make sure to have the cleaning supplies ready for you when you arrive at the tower!"

Peter and Julius were gasping for breath when they finally arrived at the room that held the door. "Alright," Julius said after he composed himself and stood straight, "Now get back to Heart Castle before Micrurus arrives."

The still panting rabbit looked up at Julius and then straightened, "Tell Alice that I love her." Julius merely nodded his head and opened the door. He took a deep breath to steady himself before he walked in, the door swinging shut behind him.

"Nightmare Gottschalk, Julius Monrey, get over here, now!" The giant snake said in roaring hiss. Nightmare stepped up to the snake, his footsteps echoing in the deafening silence, Gray close beside him.

"Where is Julius?" the snake hissed.

"Do you really think we would bring our most valuable man to the center of the action? He is being safely guarded by the Castle of Hearts; the new neutral territory." Nightmare said, the same way Julius had told him to.

"What do you think you are doing then?"

"We are tired of being pushed around by the mafia, so we joined forces with the Amusement Park and convinced Julius to help us fight the mafia." He said and shrugged it off as if it was no big deal, though on the inside he was shaking and nervous to no end.

"Remain here," the snake hissed and suddenly disappeared.

Micrurus appeared in the Castle of Hearts in her human form, ordering the queen to allow her to see Julius.

"We do not know where the Clockmaker is." Vivaldi said to the woman in front of her, waving her hand dismissively. "Nightmare insisted that we not know. So instead, I chose my best guards and Nightmare chose where he would hide and be guarded." Vivaldi heaved a sigh and rested her chin on her fist. "If you wish to know, speak with the incubus."

Micrurus gave a loud scream of anger and stopped her foot before promptly disappearing again.

Pierce took a deep breath to stead himself. Now was not the time for fear or regrets. He had made a promise to help, and this is what he had agreed to. His green eyes took in the street below him as he gripped his knife tighter. Suddenly, Micrurus appeared, looking more furious than ever. The snake hissed and raised its giant head to glare down at Nightmare. "You lied to me!" It hissed

Nightmare raised his hands in innocence, the signal to be ready, and said, "I told you he was being guarded by the Castle of Hearts, not that he was there!" Pierce moved closer to the window, and closer to the snake. Across the street, Gray stood at the ready in the window of a dress shop, as soon as he saw the mouse; he nodded his head and gripped his knifes tighter. "Julius simply is not here!" Nightmare said and balled his hands into fists and resting them on his hips.

Pierce and Gray pushed off the windowsill at the same time, Pierce released a scream of panic and fear as he and the former assassin landed on Micrurus's head, both stabbing their knives into the thick scales, blood spattering on to their faces and arms. The Snake Witch released a scream of pain and thrashed her head about, attempting to throw them off. "Hold on tight!" Gray yelled over the pained screams as the others fled for safety.

"I can't," Pierce yelled back before he suddenly lost his grip on the knife and went flying, Gray following shortly behind him. Pierce groaned and sat up. "Do you still have your knives?" he asked the lizard. Gray nodded his head. "Good, then I suggest you hurry and get the others so we can finish this!" He said and leapt to his feet before taking off.

"Where are you going?" Gray shouted as he stood.

"Snakes eat mice right? So I'm going to tempt her with a snack!" He shouted over his shoulder. "Don't keep me waiting; she's bound to be hungry!" Pierce ran up to the snake before it could attack a group of faceless and began waving his arms frantically. "Hey, over here you big reptile, look down here!" The snake hissed and turned her head to face the Sleepy Mouse. "Yeah that's right, I'm talking to you!" He said and pointed at the snake's snout as she lowered her enormous head. "You know what?" Pierce placed his hands on his hips and widened his stance. "I'm sick and tired of being the cry baby! I also hate being pushed around by big bullies like you!"

"Pathetic mouse," the snake hissed, "You can do nothing! You are alone and a coward!"

"I may be alone, but I've got friends, friends like Alice! And no one hurts my friends, you stay away from her you big bully!" Pierce screamed and kicked the snake's snout.

"How dare you, you cowardly rodent!" Micrurus hissed.

"If you want to do something about it, then come and get me!" Pierce shouted and ran away. As the snake chased after him, Pierce realized all too late what kind of trouble he'd just put himself into. "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Gray, help, save me!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as he ran down the street, the snake hot on his heels.

"Stupid, rat, you're going the wrong way!" Boris shouted from behind the mouse.

"Oh yeah," Pierce said to himself and suddenly stopped and ran the opposite direction, sneaking past the snake and gaining a lead. Further down the street Pierce was suddenly pulled into one of the buildings by Boris.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Have you been hanging around Ace or something?" he shouted as he cocked his gun and aimed out the door. As soon as Micrurus appeared in their line of vision there was a storm of bullets as the Ones with duties and the Faceless shot the snake, blood spraying everywhere. The snake's body went rigid and suddenly dropped to the ground with a giant crash that none doubted could be heard all the way at the Castle of Hearts.

Blood, Elliot, and Gray were the first to emerge from their hiding places; the twins, Boris, and Gowland close behind. The twins, who had become adults as soon as the battle had really started, took their sickles and poked the dead body of the snake. "This is totally awesome brother!" Dee shouted over his shoulder as Blood and Elliot walked up beside them.

"Totally, brother," Dum agreed.

As the twins continued to chatter, Nightmare left where he'd been hiding in the church and came up to examine the snake. After a moment of staring at the reptile he suddenly spoke up, "Something's wrong, I don't know what, but something just doesn't feel right."

"Alice," Julius shouted into the red fog. Where was that infuriating woman? "Alice," he called again and listened.

"Over here," Julius turned to his left and began walking that way.

"Alice, I can't see you, keep talking. Tell me how you're doing, are you okay, are you hurt?" He shouted.

"No, I'm alright; I just really want to get out of here!" Alice shouted back.

"Just a few more steps," Julius told himself as he edged closer. Suddenly something flew at him, Julius didn't know what it was and had a split second to decide whether to shoot his gun or too relax. Taking a leap of faith, he stood his ground as the thing slammed into him. Hearing the sobs from the small thing made Julius realize that it was Alice, relieved, he wrapped his strong arms around her, enveloping her, his cheeks flaming bright red.

"Thank god you're okay!" He said as he pressed her head into his shoulder. Alice sobbed and gripped his coat tighter.

"You brainless, mushroom growing, stupid cynical son of a bitch!" Alice growled and pounded on his chest a couple of times. Julius merely let her beat on him until her sobs finally died down and her body slumped in exhaustion.

Julius rubbed her head, threading his fingers in her hair and whispered, "I'm going to get you out of here and take you home."

Alice pulled away to stare at him in confusion. "But… I don't want to go home!" She said with large teal eyes, "And besides," she added, "Blood made sure I drank every drop of that potion!"

Julius sighed and shook his head, suddenly becoming aware of how long he'd been holding the Outsider and released her, taking a step back to gain some distance to think clearly. "Do you remember what I told you when you first came here?" Alice gave him a look that clearly said to elaborate. "'You cannot go home alone', that is the rule." He said, giving her a knowing smile. "In other words, you can still go home but you will need help; a different kind than what interacting with the inhabitants of Wonderland can provide. If you allow, I can send you home and you will return to your world and your sisters."

Alice thought for a long moment, but before she could give her reply, she was cut off by high pitched screams. Julius reacted quickly; he shoved the Outsider away, causing her to trip over her own two feet and land on the surprisingly solid ground. The Mortician's gun appeared out of nowhere and shot three bullets at the source of the scream. The next scream that came was even more infuriated as Julius was suddenly shoved to the ground, the Snake Witch on top of him.

"Alice, run!" He grunted as he attempted to push the Snake Witch off of him. Alice scrambled to her feet but suddenly froze in horror as the snake witch bit the wrist of a hand that had been attempting to hit her, tearing the veins open and staining Julius's clothes and face with blood. Julius let out a shout of pain and hit the witch with his uninjured hand, stunning her long enough for him to push her over and pin her. "Run you stupid girl!" Julius shouted but was suddenly cut off when Micrurus's fist collided with his jaw and he was pushed away and the Witch leapt at him again.

Alice lunged forward to assist the Undertaker but before she could, a ghostly, cold hand grabbed her arm and pulled her away. "No! Julius!" Alice screamed and tried to pull away from the cold hands. The owner of the hands released a grunt and used his other arm to grab her around the waist and pull her further away from the danger.

"Alice, stop fighting me!" Nightmare pleaded as she struggled in his arms.

"But, Julius! We have to help him, she'll kill him!" She screamed desperately as Nightmare pulled her away from the scene. Alice cringed when she heard a choking sound, when she managed to move so that Nightmare was not obscuring her view, she gasped to find the witch chocking Julius.

"Alice, look at me." Nightmare said in such a serious tone that it immediately grabbed her attention. "The best way to help Julius now, is to get you home. Micrurus will be defeated if she has no source of power soon, and for her you are that power source. Julius is merely stalling. In the mean time we have to get you back to the door." Alice turned to look back at the blue haired man behind them. "Please Alice; this is the only way to help Julius."

Alice hesitantly nodded and allowed the incubus to lead her away toward the door.

The Role Holders gasped, several winced, as they looked into the large wall length mirror in Heart Castle and saw the fight between the Witch and Julius. Perhaps Blood had been wrong earlier. Julius Monrey, though clever and protective, was in truth, not much of a fighter. It was now painfully obvious in the Yakuza's eyes. It seemed clear that the Mortician was no match for the Witch and in need of help. It would not serve well to send the Knight of Hearts; with his sense of direction Alice and the Game Keepers would be dead before he even arrived.

Blood released a sigh; it was all up to him then.

He took a step back, no one reacted, their eyes remained glued to the mirror. He slowly walked away until he was at the door before breaking out into a full on run for the Clock Tower. When he arrived he felt instant sympathy for Ace. The Clock Tower may have only been one long, spiraling staircase, but there were dozens of doors; most of which were locked. Finally, the Hatter came across an open door with another, glowing door inside. He stepped into the room and opened the glowing door.

The Role Holders gasped, several winced, as they looked into the large wall length mirror in Heart Castle and saw the fight between the Witch and Julius. Perhaps Blood had been wrong earlier. Julius Monrey, though clever and protective, was in truth, not much of a fighter. It was now painfully obvious in the Yakuza's eyes. It seemed clear that the Mortician was no match for the Witch and in need of help. It would not serve well to send the Knight of Hearts; with his sense of direction Alice and the Game Keepers would be dead before he even arrived.

Blood released a sigh; it was all up to him then.

He took a step back, no one reacted, their eyes remained glued to the mirror. He slowly walked away until he was at the door before breaking out into a full on run for the Clock Tower. When he arrived he felt instant sympathy for Ace. The Clock Tower may have only been one long, spiraling staircase, but there were dozens of doors; most of which were locked. Finally, the Hatter came across an open door with another, glowing door inside. He stepped into the room and opened the glowing door.

Julius's vision was beginning to turn black from the pressure on his neck cutting off his air. Suddenly the Witch's hands were removed from his neck as she was tossed into the red fog. Julius gasped for air and rubbed the bruises on his neck.

"I thought you always had a back-up plan, Clockmaker." Blood Dupre said as he offered his hand to help him up.

"I don't know, I'm improvising here!" Julius said as he took the Yakuza's hand and stood. "What happened? I thought you took care of Micrurus!"

"Nightmare said that she 'escaped' or something before she was killed. She must have suspected something, I'm not sure, ask the worm."

"You bet I will." Julius growled and retrieved his gun from where it had landed and returned to the form of a wrench. The Mortician then turned to Nightmare and Alice who had not gotten very far. "Alice, get out of here!" He said and motioned in the direction of the door. "Nightmare, get your sorry butt over here and help us you Worm!" He shouted at the incubus.

"Didn't your mother tell you to stop calling me that?" Nightmare said as he left Alice to join his cousin and the Mafioso.

"So what? You're still a worm."

"Seriously? You're nearly thirty years old, how immature!" The Incubus grumbled as he joined the others.

"I think it suites you." Blood commented as his cane suddenly appeared and turned into his AK-47. The Yakuza turned around to face Alice, who had not moved since Julius had told him. "If you insist on remaining, stand back and stay out of danger!" Alice nodded hesitantly and stumbled back a few steps.

"Stand back to back around Alice," Julius ordered. As soon they were in position around the Outsider, Micrurus leapt out of the red fog, screaming and hissing. Blood released fire on the giant lizard. The bullets seemed to phase the Witch as she rushed at them. "Scatter!" Julius said and pushed Blood before grabbing Alice's wrist and dragging her away with him.

"Why are we running?" Alice panted as she struggled to keep up with the Clockmaker's long strides.

"A snake can't strike if its target keeps moving, a man however can." The blue haired man stopped suddenly and grabbed Alice's shoulders. "Stay here." He instructed and turned to return to the fight.

"No!" Alice shouted and grabbed the Mortician's sleeve. The Outsider and the Cynic blushed as their eyes met. Alice hastily released him but did not break eye contact. "If you do go, please be careful."

The Undertaker gave an uncharacteristic smile and cupped her cheek, "I know I'm not much of a fighter, but I'll certainly do my best, and then I'll get you home." He promised. Julius raced back, praying that Alice would listen to him and stay put, it was something she seemed to have a supreme amount of difficulty with.

Less than half a kilometer away from him Micrurus released a scream of anguish and suddenly the scenery changed to that of a forest with trees everywhere. As he continued to run everything began to go in and out of focus rapidly, the sounds of combat blending in his head and making him disoriented. He slowed to a stop, blinking several times and shaking his head to clear it. Slowly the world began tilting and spinning as he stumbled along. He tripped on a root and fell to his knees. The Clockmaker groaned and crawled to set his back against a tree, holding his stomach as pain filled it

He gave a sharp yell of pain and fell onto his side into a pile of leaves. They were damp with a musky smell, the cold was a relief to his heated skin but made his nose burn. The Clock Tower was normally in winter during the April Season so autumn was mostly an unusual sight for him. He gave a groan of pain and curled into a fetal position. His dark blue eyes watered as the pain spread, burning from his wrist and lava coursing through his veins. His body began to shake at the feel of being ripped apart from the inside out.

Julius raised his shaking hands to his face and stared at the bite mark on his hand. He'd been poisoned. Next would be hallucinations, nausea and possibly vomit, then his body would become sluggish and clumsy as it began to slow down, then finally it would completely shut down and he would collapse and remain as such until his heart gave its final beat.

It was the same way Micrurus had murdered his brother, and he had witnessed all of it. But that didn't matter now! But right now his first priority was to keep Alice safe and lying here would simply not do. Clutching to the bark of the lowest hanging branch he could reach, he pulled himself to his shaky legs. Staggering slightly, he continued towards the sounds of the small battle.

Each tree, no matter how much he attempted to convince himself otherwise, looked like it had a snake coiled around it, each poised to strike. Terror surged through him, even though he knew it was false, but his subconscious was in control right now. Taking a moment to regain his breath, the blue haired man grabbed his gun and took off for the fight.

Blood was holding his own against the snake and Nightmare was avoiding the attacks directed at him by floating just out of reach. Seeing that Julius had returned to them, Nightmare floated until he was right above Micrurus's head and dropped down to grasp her neck. The snake released a hiss of anger and grabbed the Hatter with her tail, his gun dropping from his hands.

"Your gun, hit her between the eyes!" Nightmare grunted. Julius raised the gun, his hands shaking and his vision blurry. His vision cleared and shifted, watching helplessly as the first Outsider, his brother, attacked the snake clutching at his quickly beating heart and making an attempt to finish her off. A sudden wave of nausea brought Julius to the ground, his gun slipping from his fingers as he landed on his stomach. Micrurus threw Blood off of her and tossed Nightmare away then approached him, ready to finish him off.

"_This is the end." _Julius thought as the snake suddenly approached.

Then an unexpected voice screamed at the top of her lungs, "Why won't this thing shoot?"

"The safety is still on!" Blood replied. "Move the clip on the left side, quickly!" Seconds later there was a loud bang and the snake fell five yards away from Julius and the Outsider. Alice gasped, her heart beating rapidly, and dropped the pistol then knelt to Julius's side, turning him onto his back and lifting his head.

"Alice," he choked and touched the young woman's cheek. "I have to get you," Alice cut him off quickly.

"Just shut up about that! Can't you see that you're hurt? How- How dare you worry about sending me home when you're hurt, you have quiet the nerve!" She shouted at him.

"I'm sorry; I broke my promise to you." He gasped as a jolt of pain came from his clock as its speeding slowly began to stop.

"No, you're not leaving me; you're not going to die!" Alice sobbed as tears came to her eyes and slowly traveled down her cheeks.

"Don't cry, I don't know what to do when you cry." Julius said with a soft smile. "I worry when you cry."

"Why?" Alice said, becoming momentarily distracted as Blood and Nightmare began to make their way toward them after ensuring that Micrurus was dead.

"I," The mortician paused for a moment. Was it really worth telling her? Was it time right? He'd certainly never imagined telling her, let alone actually doing it! But if he was dying, he might as well spit it out. "I love you." He admitted softly. If he were at full health, his face would have been bright red.

Alice glanced at Blood with a sad look. The Hatter nodded his head in acceptance, he'd known from the near beginning. The Yakuza was not one to give up easily, but in this case, it sounded easier than getting into a fight with the Outsider.

"I love you too." Alice admitted and kissed his forehead.

Julius sighed peacefully and looked to Nightmare, an imploring look on his face. "Take, her home." He said to his cousin and gave a final sigh as he passed out.

Alice began screaming, shaking the tall man by his jacket. Blood had to literally restrain her and hold her back as she sobbed. Nightmare stood sadly and touched Alice's forehead with his pointer finger. "Alice, wake up." He said. The world darkened and lights appeared, flashing brightly and rushing past her, then the world returned to black.

Alice's world began to shake as someone called her name. Hesitantly opening one eye, she found the face of her elder sister smiling down at her. Alice bolted up right and looked around herself.

"_I'm back! I'm in my own world!" _ She mentally gasped.

"Alice, what's wrong?" Lorina said with concern.

"Julius is gone!" She gasped and broke down into a fit of sobs. "I'll never see him again!"

_**AN: Special thanks to a wonderful friend of mine for the help in killing off a character that she fell in love with in less than an hour. I'll see you guys again in chapter eleven!**_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Rain drizzled relentlessly from the dark gray clouds above, increasing the early autumn chill that swept over the city. Fall and winter were typically the times of the year that Alice and her family would spend in the town of London, so it was no surprise to find the three sisters out shopping in the rain.

It had been months since Alice had awakened in the garden and had started to cry inexplicably. Lorina had done everything she could to cheer her up, taking her out for coffee (which had failed miserably), taking her to search for new jewelry and dresses, taking tea with her, but nothing had worked; in fact it seemed as if the young woman had only grown sadder. This shopping trip was Lorina's last hope of making Alice happy. If it didn't work the eldest sister would be at her wits end.

"Onee-san, I'm tired." Edith complained, tugging on Lorina's free hand. The little girl's eyes suddenly brightened as she pointed down a typically unused path. "Can we take the short cut home?"

Alice had a sudden feeling of dread; one too many trips with a certain knight that was infamous for no sense of direction what-so-ever had made her wary of 'shortcuts'. But that wasn't what made her freeze. In her mind a memory of the last time she'd taken a short cut had suddenly come to her.

_It was a time shortly after she'd returned. Alice had been coming home from the Amusement Park when she'd nearly been attacked by some faceless rebels. The same rebels who were well known for stealing and smashing clocks, Alice wasn't sure what they'd been planning for her, but it couldn't have been good._

"_You shouldn't travel at night, especially alone Alice." Julius scolded with an icy stare, no longer paying attention to the clock still in his hand._

"_Yeah, you were lucky I was passing by." Then he added silently, "Thanks for helping me get here by the way!" Those rebels were really after you, Alice!" Ace said with surprising concern, his face wearing an unusual frown as he leaned against the Clockmaker's desk._

"_Alice, promise us you'll __**never **__take a short cut in the dark, even if it's just beginning to grow dark. It's __**too **__dangerous for you!"_

Before Lorina could give Edith an answer, Alice spoke up. "I don't think we should go that way."

"Oh what do you know? It's perfectly safe! Jessie and her parents always come this way, so why shouldn't we?" Edith scowled at the middle child.

"Sorry Edith, but I made a promise to a friend that I wouldn't take short cuts home when it's nearing dark." Alice said and turned to go the other way.

"Who in their right mind would friends with you?" Edith giggled cruelly. Lorina placed a hand on her youngest sister's shoulder and gripped her tightly.

"That's enough Edith, we came to have fun and get away from the town house, now apologies to Alice." She said in a kind but stern voice. Edith gave an un-ladylike snort and pulled away and down the path.

"As if!" Then she turned her head to call over her shoulder. "I'm going home; you're welcome to come with me!" And then she continued down the path.

Lorina gave Alice a sad smile and shrugged. "I'm sorry Alice, I was hoping she'd co-operate and be polite, but I guess even Edith has her limits."

"It's alright Lorina," She sighed then raised her voice for the little girl to hear, "I'd expect nothing else from little _Eddy_!"

Edith turned around to scowl at Alice, "Don't call me that!" She shouted angrily.

"Why not, _Eddy_?" Edith glared at her but continued to walk down the path.

Lorina shook her head and followed after Edith. The former Outsider of the Country of Hearts released a sigh and took a step down the path to follow.

"_Don't!"_

Alice released a squeak of surprise and took a step back when she suddenly heard the stern voice of Blood Dupre echo in her mind like gunfire. The girl sighed and shook her head. Now was not the time to be distracted by stupid memories. She frowned and took another step forward.

"_Stop, Onee-san!"_ The twins shouted. Alice ignored them and took another step.

"_Don't break your promise to us!"_ Ace said, Alice continued down the path.

"_Alice Liddell, my love, stop!"_ She heard Peter scream and was suddenly pushed by an invisible force. Alice growled and brushed her coat off.

"I don't know how you're doing it, but knock it off you guys!" She scolded and picked up the bags she'd dropped and ran to catch up.

"Alice, what's wrong?" Lorina asked as the girl caught up with them.

Alice snapped to attention and smiled again, "Sorry Lorina-nee-san, I didn't mean to look upset, but I'm better now! See?" She pointed at the newly formed smile.

In Lorina's mind it looked more like a grimace, but instead of commenting she let it slide. Something had been wrong with Alice. Lorina couldn't place her finger on it but was determined to discover what it was. When she'd found Alice sleeping in the garden, after promising she wouldn't fall asleep again, she'd been yelling and saying some odd things.

First she'd said, "I love you too." Then all of a sudden she was screaming, most of it was incomprehensible to the elder sister. But what could the seventeen year old possibly have been dreaming about that had made her scream so violently?

Choosing not to dwell on it much longer, Lorina returned her attentions to the path. The path was empty, both a good and a bad thing, she noted without enthusiasm. She was beginning to understand why Alice had been so hesitant to come down this path in the first place. It was dark for the most part and fenced off by two lofty walls of browning and balding hedges and the ground was lightly worn down red cobblestone. Above them were vine-like plants that clung desperately to the wooden beams above them as their leaves withered and died while at the same time giving them momentary shelter from the falling rain.

As they walked further down the tunnel-like path a sudden feeling of cold water running down the spinal cord of Lorina's neck had her gasping and coming to a sudden stop. "Edith," She said and grabbed the youngest girl's shoulder, pulling her to a halting stop. "I think Alice is right, we should head back and go the other way."

"But Lorina-nee-san, it's getting dark and we're almost there!" The Eight year old remonstrated.

"I hate to admit it Lorina, but it would be well after dark if we were to back track and go back to the town house the usual way." Alice pointed out.

"_If I were with Ace," _Alice thought to herself, _"We would have set up camp and tried again when the sun returned."_

"Then we better hurry up before something happens." Lorina said with a decisive nod.

"I think you've spoken too soon." A male voice said abruptly as he stepped out of a tiny gap in the hedges. Lorina gasped and tugged Edith so she was standing behind her. Alice remained calm and merely looked at the man.

The best way to describe him was simply to say that he was filthy. He had blonde close cropped hair and stubble on his cheeks and chin. His clothes appeared to be old and torn to shreds. His smell was a combination of tobacco, sour milk, and smog that was overpoweringly strong and made the girls gag.

He took a deep breath and turned his head to the side to spit out the chewing tobacco in his mouth. With a sinister smile he used the sleeve of his torn jacket to wipe away the brown saliva that dripped from the corner of his mouth.

"I'm afraid you girls have gotten into a spot of trouble." He said in a deep raspy voice. Four similar looking men with sacks stepped out of the hedges behind the girls, causing them to jump in surprise. "Don't worry, me mates and me will be takin' you home now!" He snickered as his friends threw their sacks over the girls heads and everything went black.


	12. Chapter 12

Alice awoke with a start and gasped for air, her heart racing with panic. What had happened? Where were her sisters? Why was she trapped in a cell? "Did ya enjoy yehr nap miss?" A man cackled and carelessly pushed a plate of rotting and molding fruit through the bars. "You better eat up, we've got some visitors comin' today, if'n un takes a likin' to yuh, 'e may buy yuh. I can' guaran'ee tha' yuh'll be well cared fehr t'ough!" He laughed and walked away.

From Alice's right came a soft whimper. Curled up in the corner furthest from the man's reach but closest to Alice was a sobbing Edith. Alice crawled as close to her younger sister as possible and stretched out a hand to touch her dark curls. The former outsider looked around the room until her eyes met Lorina's. How had they gotten into this mess?

Hours passed and the men left to two girls alone for the most part. They rarely left their table where they sat drinking their alcohol and playing card games, occasionally yelling accusations of cheating and disbelief when someone won. They received no midday meal or water, being accurately treated like the prisoners they had become. The fear had become too much for Edith and she had eventually fallen asleep, leaving Alice to stroke her dark curls.

It wasn't until the time that the Liddell sisters would sit down for supper that the visitors arrived. From the looks of the first man he was an Earl with long, neat brown hair tied at the nape of his neck and freezing blue eyes. His companion had short silver hair, a full and neatly trimmed beard and enough pompous air to suffocate an elephant. The two men began to circle the large room, examining the "merchandise".

A half hour into their browsing two more men appeared, both clad in black suits with grey ties. Alice could only see three differences between them. The first man had a top hat on his head, wore thick black rimmed glasses, and was leaning heavily on a black cane for support. The other wore no hat, wore a long black coat, and stood independently. They waited a moment and then began to circle the room as well, inspecting each of the girls under the age of eight, then to the girls aged between eight and twenty; completely ignoring the selections of boys on the other side of the room.

They stopped in between Edith and Alice long enough to look them over. The younger looking man with no hat leaned over to whisper to the other man, but Alice could still hear him. "What do you think of them?"

The other man leaned back to whisper his response. "They're healthy, that's a good thing." The younger man nodded his agreement. "What is your assessment of the men?"

"Easy enough, thirteen of them are drunk and then there are the other two. If I can't take out the guards at the top of the stairs, Elliot and the Twins will." He whispered. "Can you handle the noblemen?"

The elder man nodded his head confidently, "Yes. We'll deal with them quickly and get out of here before the police show up." After whispering his answer he cast his eyes upon Alice and the silvery blue orbs met with her teal eyes and held fast.

Something was familiar about him, something about those eyes and their cold lack of emotion, the shape of the long nose and the lips set in a permanent looking scowl. Was it. . . No! It couldn't be! "Julius?" Alice whispered, moving to stand and approach him.

The man raised a gloved hand and pressed a finger to his lips with a knowing smile. He then threw a glance over his shoulder at the men behind them and returned his attentions to her. "Where is your elder sister?" He mouthed.

"Down there." She whispered and tilter her head to the left. "She's the one in green." Julius threw his gaze over to her and then nodded.

"Sit tight Alice. We'll have you out of here soon." The mortician's accomplice smiled and winked a ruby eye at her.

"Ace, is that you?" She whispered in stunned amazement. Ace nodded and winked again.

"Clam up you moron!" Julius hissed as the two noble men approached with one of the sober men.

"Mr. Ardal, I believe I'd like to purchase that one." The Earl said and pointed at Edith with a gloved hand.

"My apologies sir, but I am purchasing these two and that one down there." Julius said and pointed at Lorina.

The Earl gave a snort of anger and glared at Julius. "Do you know who I am? I am the Earl Varden Cecil, one of the wealthiest nobles in England, who are you to challenge me?"

Julius gave the man an unimpressed look. "They call me the Clockmaker. And those girls are mine." He said in a bored tone.

"Listen to me you pathetic old man, there are plenty of girls here, pick another child!" The Earl spat.

Julius's right eye twitched slightly at the insult. He wasn't _old! _Yes Micrurus had slowed his aging, but he was barely twenty-eight! With a sigh, Julius gave his response. "Then take your own advice _youth, _and get a different girl."

"Now, now," the sober Mr. Ardal said, coming in between the two men. "I'm sure we can work this out. Come and sit, discuss this over a drink!" He insisted.

"I'm not thirsty." Both men said at the same time.

"Alice, what's going on?" Edith whispered groggily as she sat up and rubbed at her eyes.

"Hush, it's going to be alright, I promise." Alice told the eight year old in a hushed tone and touched her crown.

"I'm telling you one last time old man, go pick out another girl or I'll shoot your damn head off!" The Earl shouted and pulled out his gun. Ace reacted quickly and drew his sword from under his coat and cut off the barrel of the revolver.

"Sorry," Ace said smirking, "But I've taken quiet a liking to Julius and I don't want to see him replaced!"

"You already used that line." Julius grumbled.

"Sorry, I couldn't go improve and I had nothing planned ahead of time." He smiled.

"Moron!" Julius sighed and rubbed his temple with his free hand. "Go take care of the others, I'll deal with these three and get the girls out."

Ace nodded and raised his sword as he ran to cut down the others. Earl Cecil growled angrily and threw another fist at him. Julius dodged the punch Earl Cecil threw and propelled his cane forward to hit the Earl in the stomach, the man doubled over in pain and Julius used his foot to push away the moaning aristocrat and gain some room to take on the Earl's friend. Again Julius avoided the fist aimed at his face, it did however skim his hat and knock it off, freeing the long azure hair he'd hidden and blinding the man. The Undertaker used the distraction to his advantage and hit the man over the head and knocking him unconscious.

Mr. Ardal whimpered and took a step back. The Clockmaker narrowed his silver-blue eyes and tight his grip on his cane. The Slave Trader turned and was about to run away in terror, but even injured Julius was faster and held the man in place with his cane against his trachea.

"The Key please Mr. Ardal." Julius whispered the command in his ear. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out the slightly rusted key. The blue haired man snatched the key out of his hand and hit the base of the slave trader's skull, knocking him unconscious as well.

The Clockmaker winced slightly as he leaned on the cane for support and fumbled to put the key in Edith's lock just as Ace arrived. "Carry her!" He instructed the knight and moved to open Alice's cage.

As soon as the door was opened Alice leapt at the mortician. With a bright blush Julius returned her embrace. Ace smirked and shook his head, after giving a slight chuckle he grabbed the key from Julius with his free hand and left to retrieve Lorina from her cell.

"I'm glad you're alright." Julius stammered awkwardly. "I'm not sure what I would have done with myself if you were lost." He pulled away from her and took her hand. "I'm sure you have lots of questions, however now is not the time to answer them. The Police will be here any minute now." Julius hesitated a second then led Alice to catch up with Ace and her sisters and to safety.


	13. Chapter 13

Without Ace leading the way the group of five was able to arrive at the Liddell estate in under an hour. The girls' father had not been home and had therefor not taken notice to their disappearance, the few servants that were with them however had. There was much fussing when they arrived, but after nearly a half hour of reassurance they had been dismissed Lorina, Alice, Ace, and Julius sat in the drawing room to speak in private.

Julius released a sigh of relief as he sank into the cushioned seat Ace walked over to him and knelt to his eye level and held out a cup of black coffee. "How are you holding up Julius?"

"I'm fine!" The Mortician snapped and took the offered cup.

"When did you wake up?" Alice asked and took a sip of her tea.

"That is irrelevant." Julius mumbled and sipped the familiar black liquid. Alice looked at Ace for an explanation, and he did not disappoint.

"Julius here woke up early this morning. He panicked as soon as he found out you were missing and forced Nightmare to open up another gate and let him through, but he said not unless I came with. He's still feeling the effects of the poison." Ace explained and quickly moved out of reach of the Clockmaker and his cane before could hit him.

"I thought we had an agreement you wouldn't tell her!" He hissed and reached for his wrench. Ace laughed and released a squeak when he saw the Clockmaker reach for his wrench, completely unaware that Julius was unable to turn it into a gun in this world. He jumped back and hid behind Alice who was still standing.

"Ace, what are you doing?" Alice squeaked.

"The old man is scary Alice!" He whimpered and hugged Alice from behind.

"What- Ace! Let go of Alice!" Julius roared and grabbed his cane to stand up.

"But I missed her!" He whined.

"Ace, you can let go of me now." Alice said in a monotone voice. Suddenly even more frightened for his life, Ace released Alice but did not move from behind her. Exhausted from having used so much energy that day, Julius slumped back into his seat.

"Mr. Monrey, if you are still so tired and weak to the point of nearly collapsing then perhaps you and Ace should spend the night and sleep in a guest room, it is nearing dark any way." Lorina suggested.

Julius nodded tiredly. "I believe we'll take you up on that offer."


	14. Chapter 14

Alice was remarkably quick to dress when she woke the next morning, pulling a green dress over her head and brushing her hair before using a new green and gold ribbon to pull her hair back. She pulled on a pair of white stockings and slipped on a new pair of black shoes before heading down stairs. Not knowing what to do to keep herself busy until the others woke up, she began to head for the kitchen. She was still determined to achieve a perfect score on her coffee, after all. As she passed the drawing room she heard something unusual. Was that...snoring?

Cautiously, she pushed the door open and approached the couch. Sleeping there was none other than the Knight of Hearts, clad only in his black trousers. He looked so naked without his knight uniform and heavy red coat that for a moment Alice didn't even recognize him. With a sigh she reached out a hand and shook him awake. At first you'd have thought he was a corpse if it weren't for his snoring for all the reaction he gave. But then as the shaking increased he began to make small noises of protest before waving his hand at her, trying to brush her off.

"Ace," She hissed in his ear. The Knight of Hearts bolted upright, making Alice flinch and barely avoid hitting their heads together.

"Huh? Oh, hey Alice!" He smiled.

"Good morning Ace, what are you doing down here?" She laughed at the goofy smile on his half-awake face.

"Well, I got thirsty last night and I didn't want to bug any one so I went to the kitchens myself. It took me a while, but I found the kitchens and got some water. Then I couldn't find the stairs, and when I did I kept going down them not up. When I finally got _up _the stairs I couldn't find my room. So I kept looking until I found the stairs and accidentally went down again. The stairs disappeared so I kept looking. Then I found the Drawing Room and decided to sleep on the couch until you or Julius could rescue me!" He smiled and sat up.

Alice shook her head in dismay. "I'm not even going to ask about the stairs." Ace shrugged in response, a light blush staining his cheeks.

"I was about to make some coffee, want to come with?" Ace nodded, rather like a little child eager to help his mother with a task. Alice led him to the kitchens directing him to sit at the table and began to make the morning coffee.

Half way through, Edith came down into the kitchen, still dressed in her night gown, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She took the empty seat across from Ace and smiled groggily at him. "Good morning Ace-nii-san." She yawned.

"Good morning Edith-chan." He replied with a broad smile and a wave of his right hand. They sat in silence for a long moment before Alice came over to Ace with a mug of coffee in her hands.

"Try it." She said. Ace grabbed the mug and lifted it to his lips, blowing softly to cool down the black liquid and took a swig. "Well?" Alice said eagerly.

Ace smiled and laughed at her. "I think Julius will finally give you that perfect score you've been working so hard for!" Alice smiled triumphantly at the Knight and returned to the still scalding pot.

"Perfect! Now all that needs to be done is to keep the coffee warm until he wakes up."

"That won't be an issue at all." The blue haired man mumbled sleepily as he walked in and took the empty seat between Ace and Edith. "I smell coffee." He mumbled again, his head already beginning to fall again and his eyelids half closed.

Alice poured the coffee into a fresh mug and placed it in front of him on the table. "Here, it's black, just how you like it." Julius lifted the coffee to his lips and blew then took a drink, much slower about it than Ace had and gave Alice a small smile.

Ace turned his attention back to Edith and began telling her a story about when he got lost, making her giggle madly at the twists and turns he experienced.

"Your top score, ninety-eight points."

"What?" Alice wanted to shriek and tear her hair out. She was so close! "How is this only worth ninety-eight?" She was half tempted to stomp her foot in aggravation.

"It's too hot. More suited to night or evening coffee. But not first thing in the morning when one's taste buds are still adjusting to taste, the taste is welcoming, but the heat is too strong a wakeup call." He said bluntly.

Alice slumped where she stood, her head hung low. "I thought it was perfect this time." She mumbled.

Julius gave a soft chuckle and stood. "Never the less, I look forward to your next effort before we leave."

"What?" The other three occupants of the room asked in unison.

Julius looked at Ace and Edith, and then locked eyes with Alice. "We must return before the portal closes. Nightmare has been having trouble keeping the gate open since the defeat of Micrurus, we have absolutely no idea how much longer he can keep it open. I woke up immediately after he told me. I went to Ace's room, but he wasn't there. As soon as I smelled the coffee I knew he would be down here with you." The Clockmaker then turned to face the Knight. "Ace, get dressed and get your sword. We must leave before noon."

The knight nodded and stood. He gave Edith's bed hair a ruffle and then ran out of the room, only to turn right in a full circle and moved toward the front door instead. Julius sighed and turned to face Edith. "Edith-chan, would you mind helping Ace?"

Edith nodded eagerly and raced after Ace, a few moments later you could hear his protests as Edith dragged him back toward the stairs. Julius shook his head, exasperated with the Knight's inability to find a simple set of stairs.

"Do you really have to go?" Alice whispered sadly, holding back the forming tears. Julius faced her with a frown and took a deep breath to steady himself before he stood and walked closer to her.

"This isn't our world. Ace and I don't belong here. I doubt we could even really survive here, what with Ace having no sense of direction and I being so anti-social. The best thing to do would be to return home."

Alice fisted her hands and clenched tightly to her dress, each word he spoke drilling a deeper hole into her chest. "But, I thought the game ended with Micrurus's death!"

"It did. Ace is free of his role and is now able to do as he wishes."

"Then what about you, Julius? You spent your whole life fixing clocks and running the game! What are you going to do now?" She wished she could reach out and touch him, but her hands shook too much with fear as realization hit her that she was losing her best friends and the only man she ever believed she could _truly _give her heart to.

Julius gave her a soft smile and was about to reach out and touch her, but restrained himself. "I hear there's a hot spring in my former territory. It might be nice to take a vacation for a few months; I certainly deserve it."

"And after that?"

Julius shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I'll travel, maybe I'll continue being a Clockmaker, though it's not like many people would have use of my services these days." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Nightmare has also offered me a job since he's still running his territory."

"What would that job be?" Alice asked curiously.

Julius gave a small smirk before answering, "To help him hide from Gray and avoid his work and trips to the hospital." Despite the atmosphere that was heavy with sorrow and goodbyes Alice couldn't help but laugh, Julius joining in softly. "But I'll likely have to decline."

After their laughter died down Alice looked at him with a sad smile. "It doesn't sound like you have anything waiting back in your world." Julius nodded sadly and looked down, staring at the polished black shoes he wore. "Then why return? You could stay here! People in my world are always in need of a good clock or pocket watch. We could help you start your own store or shop!" Alice was growing more excited at the thought of Julius staying and being able to see more of him and knowing that he'd finally have something worth doing.

Julius shook his head. "Then who would watch out for Ace? He's an annoyance to me, but he's still my friend and I can't just abandon him, at least not before I teach him how to read a map."

Alice sighed and looked down at her feet as well. There was one more thing she could try, but she'd feel so selfish saying it. She didn't want to guilt Julius into staying, but she didn't want him to leave when she knew he really had nothing waiting for him when he returned. She looked up and met his eyes defiantly, her teal orbs already filling with tears that begged to be released, but she denied them the satisfaction. "Then… what about me?" She whispered, her voice cracking with emotion.

Julius took a deep breath and reached out to touch her cheek with a shaky hand. "What you do is your choice. I will not stop you." He then turned and walked to the door, then turned his head to glance at her from over his shoulder. "Wonderland is always welcome to Outsiders, Alice. You'll find that getting there is easy; it's returning here that is the hard part. If you ever decide to visit, speak with Nightmare. He'll be keeping a close eye on you." And with that, her left to check on Ace.


	15. Chapter 15

"Alice, are you alright?" Lorina asked the distracted girl.

Alice snapped her attention away from the falling snow outside and looked at her elder sister. "Sorry Onee-san. I was just thinking." She smiled and took her sister's offered hand. Lorina gave her a sad but knowing look.

"Are you still thinking about him?"

Alice lowered her gaze to the floor, a light blush tainting her cheeks. "Yes," She admits. "I miss him, all of them in fact. I really wish I could see them again, but I haven't heard from Nightmare since winter first started for them. He's heard nothing about Julius for months and from what I heard last the others are all fine, still getting used to me not being around but just fine." She sighed and looked out the window again.

Lorina frowned with her for a long moment before painting on a new smile for the younger woman. "Alice, why don't you just enjoy the party. Dance for a while, it will help get your mind off of them if only for the night." She insisted. Alice looked at the Christmas Celebration taking place in the ball room and shrugged nonchalantly.

"I really don't feel like dancing, Onee-san." She mumbled and returned her gaze to the snow and frozen garden outside.

"Regardless, you are going to be polite and participate in this dance that Father has arranged." She smiled at her, looking almost evil as she snatched her wrist and dragged her across the dance floor.

"Nee-san I told you, I don't want to dance!" She protested, trying to pull her arm out of Lorina's grasp. Unfortunately her efforts were of no use, Lorina had a death grip on her. Lorina gave a laugh as she pushed her into a random man who was not dancing.

"Have fun!" She said happily and walked away.

"Nee-san!" Alice growled and chased after her, only to have the man grab her hand.

"Ms. Liddell, I do believe you owe me a dance."

Alice gasped and turned to face the man, freezing in surprise when she spotted who it was.

Silver/blue eyes, pale skin, dark blue hair, black and gold trimmed sparrow coat over a white shirt and a very dark blue vest with very dark blue embroidery an albert that obviously connected to a gold pocket watch, long black pants, with reflective black shoes, a black ribbon tie, and an iconic clock earing dangling from a black ribbon attached to a gold cuff on his ear. Over all a rather striking man.

"Allow me to introduce myself," He took her hand with a small smile, "I am Julius Monrey." He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles.

Alice smiled knowingly at him and curtsied. "I am Alice Liddell."

Julius gave her a bow. "May I have this dance, perhaps?" Alice nodded happily as he pulled her in closer and began leading her to the still playing song.

"So when did you get here?"

"About a half hour ago. Somewhere between hiding from Gray and being dragged back to work, Nightmare contacted me and told me how you were doing. We made an arrangement for me to join your Father's Christmas Dance, I should probably mention that Lorina helped us arrange it."

"So she went behind my back huh?" She muttered to herself. "I'll make sure to take care of that later."

Julius gave a slight laugh and lifted her chin to look him in the eye. "Please don't, she's helped us so much." He whispered.

Alice grew bright red as he leaned in closer. _"Oh my gosh! Is Julius going to kiss me?" _She thought excitedly. Julius gave a soft chuckle when he saw her face and pulled away.

"What exactly is going through that complex mind of yours?" He whispered.

"Nothing." She mumbled in response, not looking him in the eye. Julius turned her head to face him again.

"Don't lie to me, I know something's going through your mind, now what is it?"

Alice turned bright red again as she confessed. "I thought you were going to kiss me." She admitted silently.

"Really?" He asked, feigning total surprise. Alice nodded, still bright red. Julius gave a slight chuckle, slowly turning pink himself. "So, like this?" He whispered and slowly and carefully pulled her face closer and leaning in to softly brush his lips against hers. Color rushed to Alice's face as he kissed her right there in the center of dance floor. With a hint of a smirk he pulled away and looked into her half lidded eyes.

Alice took a long moment to come back to herself and nodded. "Yes, just like that." She whispered and slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, letting his settle at her waist. After a long time just dancing, Julius leaned in close to her again to whisper.

"Come back with me Alice."

"What?" Alice gasped slightly.

"I'm still living in the tower, I know it's not the most ideal place to live, but please come back, I'm still earning money, enough for both of us."

"I . . ." Alice didn't know how to respond.

"You really don't have to, not if you don't want to." He said quickly and pulled away.

"Well, uh, I . . ." She sighed. "Just give me a little while to think about it, please?" She pleaded.

Julius nodded. "I'll be here until just after midnight." He smiled and kissed her hand as the song came to an end. "I'll leave you to think about it." He whispered and walked away. Alice remained in the middle of the floor, thinking silently to herself. Things couldn't be _that _easy. Could they? It sounded simple. Leave London and her family to stay in the Country of Hearts with Julius and her friends. Or stay in London with her family but leave Julius behind and forget the Country of Hearts and all her friends.

She realized after returning to London that she really had no reason to stay. She wanted to wait until after the Christmas season to return, now that chance was here and it felt near impossible to decide. With a frustrated sigh, Alice picked up her skirts in both her hands and ran out of the ball room. This was too much to take in in the span of one night.

Her family didn't really need her did they? Her father was never around for them, Lorina would be getting married soon. But what about Edith? Lorina would surely take care of her in her absence, right? That is if her father's fiancé didn't. There really _was _no need for her to stay.

So why should she?


	16. Chapter 16

"Alice, do you know where the gear oil is?" Julius shouted as he searched frantically through each of the drawers of his desk.

"It should be on top of your desk." Alice said as she entered the room. "Where exactly did you last see it?"

"Top left corner, right by Noriko's . . . paints." Julius looked at Alice, her slightly mortified expression mirrored his perfectly. Without a word, both of them bolted up the hall to the girl's play room. What they saw had them both groaning. A green eyed blue haired little girl was smiling up at them, covered in thick brown oil.

"Oh, Noriko. . ." Alice groaned and approached the little girl, trying to figure out how to pick her up without getting oil on herself.

"Painting fun!" The little girl chimed happily, flapping her arms in excitement and splashing in small puddles of oil.

Julius sighed and helped the little girl to her feet. "I'll clean her up." He said and took the girl out of the room, leaving Alice to clean up the child's mess.

"Painting fun!" the little girl said again.

"I know it is, Nori." He sighed again.

"Bath time?" She said excitedly as they entered the closest bathing room.

"Yes, bath time." Julius smiled and turned on the water, checking to make sure it was not too hot to burn her or too cold then plugged the bath tub and helped the little girl out of the dirty clothes and into the water. "You're so messy my little girl." He said as he removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, turned off the water then soaped up a wet wash cloth and lightly scrubbing her skin clean of the oil.

With one free hand, Noriko scooped up a small bit of the oily water and flicked it in her father's face. "Daddy needs bath too!" She squealed as Julius wiped the water from his face that luckily hadn't gotten in his eyes.

"Well I don't, I just need to wash my face now." He sighed and returned to washing her leg.

"Enjoying bath time?" Alice laughed as she walked past the bathroom.

"Daddy needs bath time!" The little girl laughed and began to splash in the water.

"Not yet Nori," Julius chuckled and drained the water. "Stand up." He instructed as he turned the water on again to fill a water basin then poured it over her head a few times until the water that drained off her body was completely clear. "Alright, Nori." He smiled and lifted her out of the bath and grabbed a towel off a rack and gently drying her. As he finished, Alice came in with a clean dress and changed her quickly.

"Paint!" Noriko screamed and tried to run out, only to be caught around the middle by one of her father's strong arms.

"I don't think so, you've had enough painting for one day." He laughed and pulled her back to sit on his leg as her mother put on her sock and winter boots. "We need to go out and get more gear oil." He said and kissed her cheek.

"Coat!" She screamed as soon as he released her and ran to her room to grab her coat, leaving a laughing Julius and Alice behind.

Julius pulled Alice close and kissed her softly. "Our lives have certainly become chaotic." He smiled.

"Naturally," Alice laughed and kissed his chin. "I'm glad I chose to return with you."

"I love you." He said and kissed her cheek.

"I love you too." She smiled and kissed his lips.

"Mommy, Daddy! Let's go!" Noriko said, impatiently tugging on the Clockmaker's pant leg.

The couple laughed as Julius grabbed his coat and Alice left to get her's.

THE END. . .


End file.
